Invasion
by ZonaXNiletak
Summary: This takes place a few months after the end of the game. While Cloud and his friends settle down and begin to live their normal lives again, something lurks in the darkness. The final battle was left unfinished...
1. ~chapter 1~

Chapter 1: Jenova's Reunion  
  
The night wind blew through the treetops, rustling their many leaves. Fearless, heartless creatures roamed the earth under them, silently hunting for their next meal, whether it be a small harmless herbivore or some unlucky person that made the mistake to stay out in the wilderness this late. But predator or prey, none of the nocturnal creatures awake that night noticed the black puddle of sludgy mass slide silently across the forest floor at a never slackening pace. Several similar puddles of this black mass were also traveling at this hour, though in different parts of the world. All shared the same destination and all would reach it, though some before others. And if you took a trip to what was called the Northern Crater in this world, you would see that this strange reunion had already begun to take place. "When I am complete, I will have my revenge." The strange substance thought as it collected itself in the cave nearby. A smaller mass just like this one came into view and merged with the first, making it a bit bigger than before. "Only a few more to arrive and I will be able to take on a form, instead of existing as this useless blob of loose cells. I just hope that there is that much in existence... It thought. It should take no more than a week now."  
  
A week passed and the last of the being's living cells arrived in the cave. To its delight, there were just enough cells for it to take on a shape, but not a strong one. It took less than a minute for this mass of cells to mold itself into the form of a tall woman with long silvery hair and glowing, impossibly green eyes. She (for it was female) wore a simple flowing dress that was white at the top but faded through gray into a bottom black as black can be. "How can I expect to do anything in a form no stronger than this? How disappointing, it seems I will have to spend years hidden in this cave while I recover." "No matter, time means nothing to me." She added aloud to her thoughts. The mass of black slime that was now a woman of beauty walked outside the cave to look around. The battle fought here over a month ago left the place looking spooky and desolate. Well, even before the battle it was that, but now it was even more so. A good number of cliffs and platforms that existed before had collapsed and left numerous caves and small hiding places as well. It was in one of these rock-laden caves that the being took refuge. The women walked slowly over the rocky ground that a month before had been quite different, a bit surprised at what she saw. She had not lived to the end of the battle and knew not how it ended. She knew only that she had lost; her plan had failed. But even though she had been defeated, her servant was still living at the time she was destroyed. She walked on. The time was near dawn and soon the first rays of the sun would be visible. The next step she took landed on something that felt different-not like the hard rocks all around her. She stopped, looked down at what she stepped on, and was shocked to see a familiar hand with the number one tattooed on the back. "Well, well, well," she commented and knelt down to remove the rock and debris that were piled in front of her. She worked fast and had soon uncovered a muscular arm, chest, and face of a man stained with dry blood. The skin that wasn't either cut open or covered with blood was deathly pale. His long hair lay everywhere in tangles. Now mostly a deep red, only a few spots could be seen it's natural color, which most would say was unnatural to begin with. His eyes were gently shut and his mouth slightly open. There were cuts and deep gashes all over his chest and the rest of him that was still covered by rock and debris didn't look much better. "Oh, my. It seems Cloud was stronger than I thought." She said, looking down on the sickening scene that lay before her. If it had been any other person to see the bloodied corpse, they would have vomited at the sight of it, or maybe have screamed. Some might have had nightmares from the experience. But this women, or rather creature, just stared at it through cold, curious eyes without once flinching at the sight of the dead, let alone feeling a thought of empathy. "What a waste," She thought. "All that strength, the power he possessed. Such a waste." She turned and started to walk away only to stop and turn back again after a few feet. "Of coarse!" she exclaimed. "I can restore his strength and power and bring him back to life." But as she said this and looked at the corpse she realized this could not be done so easily. "No." She thought. "This body is too damaged and my power too weak to do any restore work. I shall have to use a healthy body for a base." Pushing away the remaining rocks, she half dragged half carried the dead body of the man who had once been the strongest member of Soldier and quite possibly the most powerful living being on the planet. She soon reentered the cave she was in earlier and laid the corpse down next to the cold stone wall. Then she once again left the cave and headed south towards the nearest village. It was well into the morning by the time she arrived at a small town. There she crouched in the shadows of an alley where she would be unseen as she observed the people passing by. "Too short . . . Too fat . . . Ahh, perfect." The man she thought to be perfect was standing a little ways away with his back turned. There were several other people around him that he seemed to be talking to, but she could not see them well from this angle. "That blonde hair will definitely need to be changed." She thought from the shadows, and as she watched she was able to hear their conversation. "You're sure you'll be alright?" a somewhat familiar lady's voice asked. "Yeah, don't worry about me. Bye guys! See ya around!" answered another female voice. Then one of them started walking away and the others all stared after her. When she got to the exit of the town she turned and waved, and the others waved back. "Bye!" she shouted. "Bye Yuffie!" Yuffie? Then the girl named Yuffie had disappeared from view and left the small town behind. The young man that had been chosen was now staring at the ground with a thoughtful and confused expression on his face while two of his companions entered the house behind them. The girl who had earlier spoken to Yuffie stayed by his side, but he took no notice of her. "Cloud?" she said, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. Our friend in the shadows gasped. "Cloud!?" she exclaimed in a hissed whisper. The blond spikey-haired young man jerked his head in the direction of the alley, his burning blue eyes scanning the shadows. "What is it Cloud?" the young lady asked again, concern evident in her voice. The woman in the shadows took care to stay extremely still, but it was easy for her to make sure he did not happen to look in the right spot just the right way. Cloud was always easy to control. Cloud looked down and shook his head, forgetting the dark thoughts that were entering his mind, then looked up to his childhood friend. They stared into each other's eyes for a minute, unable to look away. A small moment that seemed like an eternity for each of them. "Are you two coming inside? Or do you prefer to stay out for a while?" A voice interrupted their stance and caused them to look to the open door where a large, red beast sat with his fiery tail curled round and glowing as it did in light or dark. They had not noticed him come into the doorway where he waited patiently for them to enter, a smile growing on his cat-like features. "Of course we're coming!" said the girl suddenly. "Right Cloud?" "Yeah, uh. why wouldn't we?" answered Cloud. He looked back at the alley one last time before hastily entering the house and shutting the door behind him. "Cloud. That was Cloud! Grrrrrr. If only I had my full strength!" She thought, still not leaving the shadows. "He defeated Sephiroth. it will take me years to recover enough to face him!" These thoughts upset the women more than you could possibly imagine, unless you happen to be the evil type and in the same situation, but that is highly unlikely. "Heh, heh, heh." She thought, devilishly realizing her plan in depth. "Sephiroth will achieve that for me." She thought through her plan over and over as she again searched the streets for a perfect body, for she could not use Cloud's. For reasons unknown, she was a great deal pickier than she was the first time around and it wasn't till a good hour later when she found a man that would do most perfectly for her purpose. He was tall, somewhere around six feet. His light brown hair hung to his shoulders and was cut quite evenly, though his bangs were somewhat wild as they fell across his lean face and forehead. His eyes were unmistakably green but it was clear that he had never in his life been exposed to Mako. If he had, there would have been that glow that all people, man or woman, have when exposed to the strange substance. He looked young, but his age could have been anywhere from eighteen to thirty, and his expression was one of anticipation. The evil creature disguised as a women walked slowly out of the shadows toward the man of her choice. "Excuse me, but I am having some trouble with. with my chocobo. He's extremely stubborn and won't budge. Do you think you could help me?" She said in nothing less than a tender, sweet voice, causing the taller man to stop and look to her. "Sorry miss, but I really am in quite a hurry." he answered politely and started off again. "But I am in desperate need of assistance. It won't take long enough to make you late for where ever you're going, will it? And if it does, I will gladly give you a ride if you would accept it." She insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder and stopping him once more. The man was silent for a moment, then smiled before answering, "Alright . . . I would be glad to help. I'm afraid I was being a bit selfish..." "Oh, that's perfectly alright. Right this way Mr.?" "Denge, just Denge. And what would you like to be called?" "Jen. I mean. yes, Jen." The two walked back though the alley and out of the town without another word. The women, who had called herself Jen, was lost in her thoughts about her plan while the man, Denge, was engulfed in his anticipations. "So, where is it?" asked Denge after a minute. When they were clear of the town, Jen had kept walking like she was a zombie, and there was no sign of a chocobo. There was a frightfully evil glare in her eyes as she smiled a devilish smile and seemed to be staring at something only she could see. "I don't like this girl." He thought to himself. "What?" Jen asked as she snapped out of her trance. "The chocobo, where is it?" "Oh. Well, this is where I left him, he couldn't have gotten far." Answered Jen. The evil possessed expression she had on before was gone without a trace. "You mean you didn't tie him up? If that's the case he's long gone, you'll never get him back now. Gosh, you own a chocobo and you didn't even know to--" Bonk! Denge fell to the ground, unconscious. "Save your breath." Jen growled under her breath as she started dragging his body away back toward the crater. "Actually." She thought. "The idea of a chocobo isn't so bad." So after she effortlessly caught a chocobo, she started back to the Northern Crater. When Jen entered the cave she had declared home, the time had reached noon. She placed Denge next to the body of Sephiroth and leaned against the opposite wall; She needed some rest before going on with the next step. But before she knew it, Jen had drifted off to sleep. No sooner did Jen fall asleep than Denge regained consciousness. He woke with a strong aching in his head and soon remembered about Jen, and how he was going to help with her chocobo. He remembered getting hit very hard over the head, but after that he could recall nothing. "Where am I . .?" Denge whispered to himself as he rubbed his head. Glancing at his watch, he cursed at the time it revealed. He looked to the left and saw the opening of the cave, for that was apparently what he sat in. His gaze then fell slightly and he noticed what was lying beside him. With a startled gasp Denge scrambled to his feet, his eyes glued on the sight that lay before him. "Oh, gods..." he commented in nearly a whisper. He certainly did not expect to see a bloodied torn-up corpse beside him in this cold, damp cave. Especially not the corpse of-- "Sephiroth?! The General Sephiroth? What... How... Huh?" Wild thoughts were swirling through Denge's confused mind. He had no doubt that this body that lay dead before him belonged to General Sephiroth of SOLDIER, for his features were unmistakable. It made no difference that his silvery hair was now stained red with dry blood, or that the deep cuts and gashes greatly distorted his appearance. Denge had never in his life been involved in anything that had to do with Shinra, and certainly knew nothing more about the company than the common knowledge any normal person would know. But common knowledge was that Sephiroth, SOLDIER's best member, had died because of an unexpected accident when on a mission at the Nibblehiem reactor over five years ago, and everyone knew who Sephiroth was. There were rumors, strongly believed by some, that Sephiroth had come back to life somehow since then, and that he was responsible for the meteor that had almost destroyed the planet, but Denge didn't believe that nonsense. Soon he noticed the stench of the dead that filled the air. It was almost unbearable, for one cannot stop the dead from smelling. After a quick look at the rest of the cave around him, Denge noticed Jen sitting with her back against the opposite wall, fast asleep. It then occurred to him in full what she had done. "It was a trick... Just a trap. But what does she want with me? Why did she bring me here and place me next to that-" Denge stared long and hard at the sleeping Jen, then switched his gaze over to the body of Sephiroth. He did not know what was going on, but he got the notion that he did not want to stay in this cave any longer. He quietly but quickly headed for the cave opening, careful not to wake Jen. "Jen... She's some crazy scientist I'll bet. And I am not going to be any part of some experiment." Thought Denge. There have been many incidents involving scientists doing crazy things to people in this version of Earth lately, one can't blame him for coming up with the conclusion that he did. And one certainly can't blame him for wanting to leave that cave far behind him. He didn't fancy the idea of being in the same room with a dead person all that much, especially a dead famous person that was supposed to be gone five years before. Denge wouldn't have to worry about all that though, because soon he would be- "Leaving? So soon?" The sudden sound of Jen's voice caused Denge to stop immediately in his tracks and turn to face her, eyes wide with shock. "Why, Denge. You led me to think you had more manners than to just walk away form a girl without even saying good-bye, and while she's sleeping too!" "What do you want with me?" Denge asked, or rather ordered, his voice growing cold. "Why did you bring me here?" "Oh! Pushy aren't we today, stay here with me and you shall find your answers." Jen answered coolly. "No thanks." "I'm sorry, Denge, but you have no choice." In spite of this threat, a sly grin of amusement appeared on Denge's face. "You want me, come get me." Denge dashed for the exit, but to his dismay, he did not get so far as to see the sky from beneath the overhanging ceiling of rock. Four mutated creatures had jumped in front of him, blocking the exit. It seemed Jen had more power than he thought. He stopped for a moment, surprised by the sudden visitors, then continued running; straight through the middle was his plan. It was dangerous, he knew, but he wanted out. As soon as Denge got into their range, the creatures pounced on him. He was knocked to the ground but rolled away just before the beasts landed on him. He quickly took on a fighting stance and was able to inflict some damage using his fists. At first he thought he would have no problem fighting these creatures off, after all he had encountered wild animals before and knew how to handle them. But as he was fighting, he realized that these were no ordinary animals. They were smarter, faster, and more cunning than any Denge had known before. "If only I had a weapon. a sword or something other than my fists alone." One from behind bit onto his leg, just above his ankle. He let out a short cry of pain before kicking the creature away with his other leg. Then one had his hand. He tried hitting it away and then kicked it. It didn't do much good. Then one jumped on his back, and before he knew it, he was back in the dirt. Now all four of them were on him. He tried desperately to defend himself but it was no use. Then he felt their poison kick in, and he was slowly fading away from consciousness. He heard Jen laughing. "Don't damage him too much, now. I will need his body," said Jen as she slipped again into evil laughter, and that cruel laughter was the last thing Denge heard.  
  
The creatures dragged Denge's body back into the cave and placed it back next to Sephiroth's, on Jen's command. She didn't have to worry about him waking up on her again; he was in a sleep he would never wake up from. Not dead, mind you, but in an everlasting coma, still somewhat aware of his surroundings but not alive enough to make sense of it. He had become a prisoner in his own body. but he would still have his thoughts, for Jen needed his soul to be conscious for her spell to work. "Yes, perfect." Jen murmured, rubbing her hands together as she gazed anxiously at the two bodies lying side by side on the cave floor, while the monsters she had summoned looked anxiously at her. "Leave!" she ordered them. "I have no more use for you. You've served your purpose." She grinned wickedly as the beasts scattered and left the cave. Then she turned back to the still bodies of Denge and Sephiroth and walked slowly toward them. It was time to begin. In order to resurrect Sephiroth, Jen had to use a body that was fairly healthy to serve as Sephiroth's new body. She was too weak to resurrect Sephiroth without this step, and considering the way his body was when she found it. it was just impossible. The first step was to get rid of all Denge's controlling cells and to replace them with Sephiroth's, for every cell contains a person's genetic make-up. To do this, Jen literally cut a hole in each of the men's chests and used her unique magic to transfer the bulk of Sephiroth to Denge's body. Then she had to switch the brains, which she did in very much the same fashion. For the finishing touch, she gave up some of her cells to Denge's body, which by now had more of Sephiroth in it than Denge. They merged with Sephiroth's dead cells, giving them life. Then they spread throughout the body, multiplying and replacing Denge's cells with Sephiroth's. Jen watched in satisfaction as Denge slowly mutated into Sephiroth before her very eyes. By the next day, Denge was no longer Denge at all. If the original Sephiroth was healed as this new one was, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them. 


	2. ~chapter 2~

Chapter 2: Failed Vengeance  
  
Broken thoughts were swirling through Sephiroth's mind, scenes of his life before. Scientists, SOLDIER, a mission, Nibelhiem… everything was coming together, he was remembering his life. Meteor, the northern crater… he remembered the boy with the broad-sword, Zack's sword. The boy with the spiked blond hair and ice blue eyes… the man who had killed him.  
  
Cloud…  
  
Sephiroth's eyes flew open then, and he sat up, looking at his hands and flexing them. He remembered dying, but wasn't so surprised to see himself alive again. After all, it did happen once before…  
  
He noticed with mild concern the unbearable stench in the air, the smell of the dead, Sephiroth thought. He turned to get up, but saw his corpse instead.  
  
He stared at the body, eyes wide with shock.  
  
It's. . . me. . . Sephiroth thought with the calmness from years in SOLDIER. Even with all the blood and all the deep gashes that distorted the body, he knew it was his own dead body. He just knew.  
  
He couldn't tear his eyes away despite how he wanted to. Nausea creeped into his belly as he stared at the corpse's face, his face. It was like looking in the mirror…  
  
Sephiroth felt like he was going to faint, this was almost too much for him… Almost. After all, he had been through worse… But it was so… frightening…  
  
"Ah, so you're awake."  
  
Sephiroth turned sharply at the voice, shaken from his thoughts. He wasn't fooled by Jen's disguise.  
  
"Jenova…mother…" He said, lifting his hand to his forehead as if cradling the memories that surged back to him.  
  
"You have failed me, my son." She answered, crossing the cave to stand across from Sephiroth.  
  
"That may be true…" Sephiroth answered while getting up to face her. "But remember, Mother, you were the one who failed first."  
  
Jenova's expression changed from triumphant to annoyed. "Right..." She said flatly. She never liked that cocky attitude of his.  
  
"How long has it been?" Sephiroth asked more seriously, but ignoring Jenova's obviously annoyed state.  
  
"A little over a month. I am still weak and need time to recover. In the mean-time, a certain colony of insects need to be exterminated." She smiled, "You may take your revenge."  
  
The idea of revenge sounded so good to Sephiroth, and there was a new gleam in his cold, emerald eyes. But there was one problem. "What about the Masamune, and my materia?"  
  
"Your weapon may still be buried under the rubble somewhere, look for it if you wish. As for your materia, I doubt that's still hanging around. That stuff's worth money, you know." Jenova flashed a smile. "Now go, and do not fail me again." With that she turned her back on the angelic warrior and retreated into the shadows.  
  
Sephiroth also turned, but headed in the opposite direction—out of the cave to find the Masamune. He believed that he and Jenova were working side-by- side, and that together they would share the pleasures of victory. Once the humans who had so greedily took the land (that was rightfully theirs) were destroyed, of course. Like the pests they are… Sephiroth thought.  
  
They would enjoy their prize as Mother and son… It disturbed him whenever Jenova acted as though she were the boss and brains of the operation, for they were equals. If he failed, he would be failing himself as well as Jenova, his mother.  
  
Sephiroth left the cave and walked through the debris. He was a bit surprised at how his surroundings had changed, but he had known there would be some sort of avalanche. Avalanche… Ironic how their name is what they caused… Sephiroth thought in amusement.  
  
He stopped and looked around. If the Masamune was still here it wouldn't be too hard to find it. Sephiroth had always felt some sort of connection with the strange blade, as if it were something alive and a part of him. He could always feel where it was.  
  
A hard wind blew, reminding him of the bitter cold that surrounded him. It had been slightly warmer in the cave, as it was sheltered from the wind, and he just now noticed the unbearable cold that bit into him like a thousand needles. As soon as he found his weapon, though, he would leave the Northern Crater. He could bare it that long.  
  
Sephiroth walked on, watching the ground for any sign of his lost belongings. The Masamune was here, and near too. He could sense it.  
  
A glimmer of red off to one side caught his eye, and he immediately changed coarse to investigate. As he picked up the small orb and held it in his hand, he recognized it to be his "Galaxy" summon materia. He had used it in his last battle, against Cloud. Why, then, was it not with the Masamune in the materia slot where he had left it?  
  
As if in answer to his question, a small, squirrel-type animal appeared out of a shelter in the rocks that Sephiroth just now noticed. It looked up at him for a moment with empty black eyes, then fixed its gaze on the materia in his hand.  
  
Sephiroth never really liked animals. They were stupid, mindless beings that had no point in existence. So he simply stood up and turned to walk away.  
  
His companion, however, had different plans, and immediately the little thief shot up Sephiroth's leg, scooped up the materia in its mouth, and darted back into its hole. This of course was the least thing that Sephiroth expected and the squirrel was long gone before he realized what had happened.  
  
Sephiroth stared back at the squirrel's little den. There was something else in there too, just inside the opening… It would be easy to reach in and grab it without the creature biting him.  
  
As quick as lightning, Sephiroth reached his bare hand into the hole. He felt his hand grasp a familiar handle and just as quickly pulled it out. It was the Masamune. The blade gleamed in the mid-day sun.  
  
Not quite so happy with the disturbance, the squirrel-creature was now back out of its home and staring at Sephiroth in annoyance, yelling at him in the grunting language of squirrels. That big shiny thing was his and no one was going to take it away.  
  
Unfortunately, Sephiroth felt the same way, and when the animal snarled and jumped at him, the quick, slicing action that followed hardly took any thought.  
  
He stepped over the bloody body of the creature, and bent over its den. There had to be more items in there, maybe the rest of his materia. Sephiroth picked up the top big rock and moved it, but there were still more. He started clearing away all the rocks and slowly the creature's den was revealed. There were numerous shiny objects packed away in the back and, as he had expected, his materia was there among them, but not all of it was whole. He searched and picked out "Ice" and half of "Barrier," all his other materia were laying in pieces all over the ground, but mostly around a certain rock by the side.  
  
So, the little rodent made fun of my materia by banging them on rocks. Perfect.  
  
Sephiroth stood and kicked the creature's body as he walked past it and out of the area. He'd just have to do with the "galaxy" summon and "ice." Materia really didn't matter anyway. At least he had the Masamune; that was all he needed for revenge.  
  
**********  
  
There is a small town called Gliset, unknown to most, located at the southern tip of the northern continent. Many people live there, for the small town that it is, and they are barely disturbed by visitors because of the small number who know it exists. In this village there's a couple shops, numerous houses, and a hospital. They needed the hospital, for people would often be wounded by wild animals. This of coarse being because of Gliset's location it the middle of nowhere.  
  
There was no Inn, but instead there was an empty house that they rented out whenever the seldom visitors came. It was this very house that Cloud had rented for his team until everyone left and went their own way. Cid, Barret, and Cait Sith were the first to leave in the Highwind. Cid was going to drop Cait Sith and Barret off at Midgar (or what was left of it), and then go home to Shera in Rocket Town, which now had no rocket. Barret planned to pick up Marlene, after he found her, and head to Corel. Reeve planned to rebuild Midgar and become the new mayor. With Shinra practically whiped out and the old mayor dead, not to mention both Heidegger and Scarlet, that was what he felt he must do. Yuffie didn't go with Cid because she wanted to stay a little longer and have the adventure of finding her way home. Now only Cloud, Tifa, Vincent, and Nanaki remained. Cloud knew Red would soon go home to Cosmo Canyon, and Vincent, well, nobody could be sure of what he was going to do.  
  
As for him and Tifa, they didn't know where they would end up either, since they both had no home to go to. Nibelhiem was out of the question, and there wasn't much left of Midgar. Cloud glanced down again at the small velvet box he was holding. Opening it, he saw the beautiful diamond ring he had recently bought and stared intently at it, turning it a little to see it sparkle.  
  
No, can't have second thoughts now…  
  
"Cloud,"  
  
Cloud jumped, startled at the sudden voice, and quickly closed the box and hid it behind his back. Then turned to see Vincent enter the room.  
  
"I think I will be leaving soon…" Vincent paused as he noticed Cloud had his hand behind his back, and thought he saw something sparkle. "What are you hiding?" he asked, suspiciously.  
  
"What do you mean, hiding something?" Cloud asked back, playing dumb.  
  
Vincent walked around and swiped the velvet box from Cloud's sweaty hands. "This." Vincent explained, still pushing the question, though the answer was quite obvious.  
  
Before Cloud could respond, Vincent heard Tifa approaching and tossed the ring back to Cloud, who at once repeated the gesture of shoving it behind his back. Tifa walked in and stopped, and a short moment of silence passed until Vincent silently left the room.  
  
"What was that about?" Tifa asked when Vincent was gone.  
  
"Nothing, he just wanted to tell me he was leaving soon."  
  
"Did he say when?" Tifa asked, trying to keep up conversation as she joined Cloud on the bed.  
  
"No."  
  
There was a silence, then Tifa spoke. "He confuses me." She said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Vincent, he confuses me."  
  
"Oh,"  
  
Another silence.  
  
"Tifa?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I, uh… Let's go for a walk."  
  
"To where?"  
  
"I don't know, just… around."  
  
"Okay…"  
  
They left the small house and walked through the town. Soon they found themselves in a field beside the village. Cloud had the box with the ring in his pocket and planned to ask her the big question soon. He had actually started to ask her several times, but backed out each time.  
  
Tifa had started to suspect that he had something to say, but didn't guess what it might be. She was afraid to get her hopes up, and besides, if he did have feelings for her, he would have asked her already, wouldn't he?  
  
Cloud, though, felt the same way about Tifa. He was afraid her answer would be no. The feeling of rejection, of not being good enough, it had haunted him forever. But if Tifa rejected him… He didn't know if he could take it. The answer was better left unknown, that way there would always be the hope…  
  
Evening was coming and it was getting a little chilly. The sun was sinking lower in the reddening sky. It was a relief to look into the sky and not see Meteor hanging over their heads, reminding them again and again of their mission. But they had succeeded; All that they had been through was now over. They had done the impossible and lived to celebrate it.  
  
They walked along, and Cloud took another look at Tifa. The sun cast a red halo around her hair as she knelt down to pick a wildflower, twirling it and smelling it's sweet scent.  
  
"Aren't these flowers beautiful?" Tifa asked, looking back at Cloud.  
  
"Yeah…" Cloud answered. You're beautiful…  
  
They continued their walk toward the beginning of a small forest, still not going to far from the village. It was more like a big group of trees than a forest actually, and it was out in the middle of nowhere with no other trees close by.  
  
Cloud glanced at Tifa's flower, which she still carried, lifting it to her nose every now and then as they walked. A picture of Aeris invaded his mind just then, along with the feeling of grief.  
  
"Flowers…always remind me of Aeris." He said, casting his gaze to the ground once more.  
  
"Oh, they do?" Tifa asked, sounding a little wistful.  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
Tifa looked at him as he bowed his head as if in shame. "I know you feel guilty about what happened, but we couldn't have stopped it. Besides, it was what she planned. She gave her life for the planet and everyone on it, we have to respect that."  
  
"I suppose you're right." Cloud sighed, and plopped down on the fallen tree trunk with Tifa. They had reached the sheltering trees—or perhaps not so sheltering, for they were at this very moment being watched and actually hunted.  
  
Sephiroth watched silently from the bushes directly behind Tifa and Cloud, like a cat stalking it's prey. He had been lucky that they had came so close, and even that he had found Cloud at all. He had just started looking for him, and wasn't suspecting to find him so soon. It was fortunate that he was well armed, with the Masamune at hand, and well prepared for battle. He was still short on materia, but all he really needed was his destructive blade and skills to finish Cloud off. Sure it had took him much more effort in his last battle with Cloud, but he had been careless, calling him back into battle when he himself was so weak that he could hardly lift his weapon. Sephiroth vowed never to make the same mistake again, but now Cloud was off guard and defenseless.  
  
He couldn't tell which of the two were closest to him. It was getting darker by the second, and with all his superior abilities, he lacked the best vision. It seemed the Jenova cells which were now a part of him were capable of giving him everything except for what he needed at the moment. Great talent with the sword, superior healing abilities… Why couldn't he have been blessed with something as simple as night vision to go along with it? He couldn't tell which one was Cloud and which was Tifa by the direction their voices came from either because the sound was bouncing off the trees too much. It was impossible to tell the true direction in which they came from. He would just have to guess and hope he stabs Cloud. If he is mistaken and stabs Tifa… well, then he would cause Cloud some emotional pain.  
  
Any second now…  
  
"This isn't the reason you brought me out here, Cloud, is it?"  
  
Three…  
  
"I, um, wanted to ask you something."  
  
"What?"  
  
Two…  
  
"Well, you see… I've always… Look Tifa," He knelt down.  
  
One!  
  
Sephiroth plunged the Masamune strait through Tifa's middle, similar to how he had with Aeris. Tifa gasped and fell to the ground as Sephiroth removed his sword. Cloud yelled out her name, and cradled her unconscious but not yet dead body.  
  
Cloud looked up to see the assassin and saw Sephiroth emerge from the shadows, his eyes visible before the rest of him. The blood-thirsty grin of the predator was clear on his face.  
  
"No.." Cloud gasped, not wanting to believe his eyes, his voice growing louder until he practically shouted. "No, it can't be… I killed you!" All at once, all the hate and anger he thought he was free of, all the pain came back. It flooded his mind and blocked out all other thoughts.  
  
Sephiroth laughed. "Did you really think you could destroy me for good? Did you actually believe it was possible?"  
  
"Can't be… I saw your spirit enter the Lifestream…I killed you with my own hands!" said Cloud, shaking his head slightly, still not wanting to believe this horrible nightmare.  
  
"Nothing is forever, Cloud. Get used to the concept." The glare in Sephiroth's eyes was pure insanity as he got ready to finish the job, raising the Masamune high.  
  
"Cloud…"  
  
Cloud glanced back down at Tifa. She was still alive, but wouldn't be for long if he didn't get her help fast.  
  
"And now it's your turn…"  
  
Cloud looked back up to Sephiroth, who was towering above him. Their eyes locked as the ex-general started to bring the mighty blade crashing down into his flesh. Cloud braced himself for the pain that was to come, for it was too late to escape it now…  
  
But it did not come. The blade landed inches from where he sat, and Sephiroth let out a short cry of pain. Cloud looked up to see the older man on one knee and gripping at his head as if he had gotten a sudden very serious headache.  
  
Cloud immediately took the opportunity to run. He didn't know what Sephiroth's problem was, and hardly cared enough to wonder about it. He was lucky that it happened when it did though, or else he would be dead by now.  
  
He ran through the fields back toward the village. With Tifa barely alive and limp in his arms, he did not once look back. He didn't suspect Sephiroth was following them, for he didn't hear him, and chasing wasn't Sephiroth's style. He was running, mostly, to get Tifa to the small hospital in the center of the village. She was stronger than Aeris, maybe she could hold on a little longer. With luck, the doctors there would be able to help her.  
  
Once they entered the town, Cloud got help immediately. The people that were out and around saw that he was in trouble and rushed to help him. They took Tifa from him and hurried her into the building that was the hospital. People came out of there homes to see what the commotion was all about, and asked what happened. Nanaki and Vincent also came, confused as to what happened as well.  
  
Once everyone was told to go back to their homes and mind their own business, Cloud, Vincent, and Nanaki found themselves in the waiting room of the hospital. Cloud still hadn't told them what had happened to Tifa, even after their questions, which made them fear the worst. Cloud was too worried about Tifa to tell them now. Deep down he knew that no person could ever survive that kind of an injury, but he couldn't admit to himself that Tifa would die. It just couldn't happen; he needed her.  
  
Besides that, he was still trying to work out if it really happened. Maybe it was just a wild animal, and he was having hallucinations, or maybe it was all a dream. Yes, it was a bad dream…  
  
A very bad dream… He thought, but he really couldn't bring himself to believe that explanation. Sephiroth came back from the dead before, why shouldn't he do it again?  
  
Cloud knew that Sephiroth's appearance at Gliset meant that he had to gather the others and think of a way to get rid of him for good. But would they believe him? That was another issue.  
  
"Mr. Strife?" The nurse's voice shook him from his thoughts. "No vital organs were damaged, so we think she will be okay, but her condition is still questionable." She looked at Cloud with an accusing glare as she spoke, and it was plain that she was confused by the whole situation. "It's a good thing she had you along, or she would be dead for sure. May I ask how she got an injury of this sort?"  
  
"An animal. Jumped up from behind." Said Cloud.  
  
"Excuse me for arguing, but no creature can make that kind of a—"  
  
"It was a monster. With green eyes and silver hair."  
  
The nurse, seeing that Cloud clearly didn't want to be argued with, turned and left the room.  
  
"Sephiroth," Vincent said after she was gone.  
  
"I knew something wasn't right. I've been sensing that something was wrong ever since Yuffie left," said Nanaki. "We must gather the others. Something has to be done."  
  
"You believe me?" Cloud asked.  
  
"An ordinary wild animal wouldn't be enough to give you and Tifa trouble." Said Nanaki.  
  
"Let's go back to the house and contact the others on the PHS, it's no good waiting around here. Tifa won't get any better tonight." Said Nanaki.  
  
"Yeah… Let's go."  
  
The three of them went back to the house and started to contact the others. They decided to call Cid first, since he had the Highwind and could pick everyone up. But Cloud was still unsure if the others would believe him. Cid, Barret, and Yuffie… They hadn't seen the severity of Tifa's injury. If that was the reason Vincent and Red believed him… 


	3. ~chapter 3~

Chapter 3: Avalanche Reunited—Minus two  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Cloud held the PHS away from his ear as Cid shouted disbelieving curses.  
  
"I know it's hard to believe, but he was there, and he practically killed Tifa." Said Cloud, trying to convince Cid as much he could. The only think he could think to say was that it was true, and that Sephiroth was really alive.  
  
"The &$#%in' bastard really has a thing for slayin' girls, doesn't he?"  
  
"This is no time for jokes, Cid."  
  
"#@$&, you think I don't &$#%in' know that?! Alright, I'll come with the Highwind, but you better be tellin' the truth."  
  
"Thanks Cid."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." muttered Cid before he hung up.  
  
"How'd he take the news?" asked Red.  
  
"Considering how he is, I think he took it rather well."  
  
They called Barret and got a similar reaction, along with complaints about never getting any time to spend with Marlene. He refused to come, however, stating that he didn't believe it was true. Reeve was too busy trying to hire people to rebuild the bulk of Midgar that he could not come. He couldn't even send Cait Sith, but said that he might be able to help once things settled down more. Yuffie, they couldn't contact.  
  
When Cid arrived, Nanaki suggested flying to Corel and asking Barret again. So they did, hoping to convince him that they needed his help.  
  
"I told you! I'm not comin' along." Barret said when his friends arrived at his doorstep with the Highwind.  
  
"Barret, he'll destroy the planet! He almost killed Tifa!" Cloud protested.  
  
"Yeah, sure. It was probably you that attacked her."  
  
"How can you say that…" Cloud growled.  
  
Sensing the fight that would follow if this went on, Cid spoke up. "Just let the leader have his &$#%in' way, Barret! And calm down will ya?"  
  
"Who the hell do ya think you are, tellin' me ta calm down! I have a right ta complain! Jus' when I finally get to spend time wit' Marlene, you people are tellin' me I haf'ta go flyin' around in dat piece-a-junk again!"  
  
"Hey, you're not the only one pissed off 'cause Mr. Destroy-the- Planet decided to show up again, so shut the hell up." Said Cid. "And don't you be callin' my ship junk!"  
  
"You mean you actually believe that spiky-assed nut-case over there?!" exclaimed Barret.  
  
Cloud glared at him harshly. "I saw it with my own eyes." He insisted.  
  
"Sure, Strife—"  
  
"Barret," Red intervened with a stern glare, pleading with him to stop this foolishness before it became too involved.  
  
Barret grunted and dropped argument. "Fine, whatever. But you'll haf'ta drag me aboard dat $#&%in' ship ta make me help fight against a monster that's already dead." He stormed away and slammed the door of his new house behind him.  
  
"That went well…" mumbled Cid.  
  
"I did see him…" Cloud confirmed to nobody in particular.  
  
There was a short silence before Red spoke. "I think we should be heading out to look for Yuffie. And I'd like to stop at Cosmo Canyon, there's something I want to pick up."  
  
"Sure. Come on, Cloud. Don't get any #@$& ideas." Cid guided Cloud to the Highwind, for he was staring blankly at Barret's closed door.  
  
"Do you think Yuffie's in trouble?" Cloud asked, once they were in the air again and headed for Cosmo Canyon.  
  
"Naw, probably just dead," Said Cid.  
  
"She couldn't of reached Wutai yet, maybe we should look for her." Cloud considered.  
  
"We'll make our way westward and watch the ground. If we don't find her after that, then hell! No use breaking our necks lookin," said Cid.  
  
Cloud glanced at Vincent. The strange man had not said a word since the hospital at Gliset, and his silence was starting to disturb him. Cloud had never gotten used to Vincent's antisocial behaviors, even after spending so long teamed up with him. Most of the time it was almost like he didn't exist, and ever since the fight at the crater it seemed that Vincent had gotten even silent and distant.  
  
"What about you?" Cloud asked in hopes to get him to say something.  
  
"Whatever you decide is fine with me."  
  
Cid rolled his eyes. "It's like he doesn't have a $#&%in' mind of his own." He muttered under his breath.  
  
"I heard that."  
  
Evening found the team safely at Cosmo Canyon. Red announced to the citizens that he will not be taking his grandfather's place as leader just yet because something came up. They decided to stay the night, and Red invited Cid, Cloud, and Vincent to sleep in his house instead of the inn. Then they all went their separate ways to eat up time before they returned for dinner.  
  
Cloud decided to browse the shops, as there was really nothing else to do. After finding nothing of interest in the Weapons Shop, he continued over to look through the Materia Store.  
  
And who else does he happen to find but that one and only Materia- stealing ninja.  
  
Cloud stopped in the doorway. "Yuffie?!" He exclaimed.  
  
Yuffie turned. "Hi… Why are you here?" she asked, somewhat confused.  
  
"Red wanted to stop by. How come we couldn't contact you?"  
  
"Well… Ummm…" she held out a smashed PHS with broken wires hanging out the sides. "It kinda broke."  
  
"How'd that happen? And how'd you get here so quickly?"  
  
"Hey, give me a break! I have questions too, ya know." said Yuffie, pointing an accusing finger at Cloud. "Like why did you want to contact me? And you still didn't explain exactly why you're here."  
  
Cloud sighed. "Sephiroth is alive," he said.  
  
The young ninja stared blankly at him. "W-what?"  
  
"Sephiroth is back. I saw him. He attacked Tifa."  
  
"B-But, that can't happen! He's dead! …Isn't he?"  
  
"I don't understand it either," said Cloud, shaking his head. "But I saw him. He's alive, and we have to stop him."  
  
"Maybe you were seeing things," said Yuffie hesitantly.  
  
"No! He was really there!" Cloud exploded on Yuffie and the ninja jumped back in surprise. Then his eyes took on a faraway look directed to the wall. "Tifa could be dead…"  
  
Yuffie stared at Cloud. "Okay, Jeez. It was just a suggestion." Cloud didn't respond, so Yuffie poked him in the arm. "Hey, Cloud. Helloooo…" She waved a hand in front of his face. He glared at her, then turned to leave.  
  
Yuffie sighed. "Are the others here?" she called after him, but he didn't stop. "Hey! Wait for me!"  
  
Cloud led Yuffie back to Nanaki's place, and after Cid and Vincent returned, Red served them all dinner. Just after they were all settled, Cloud's PHS rang.  
  
Cloud turned it on.  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there?" The voice sounded like a little girl, and it sounded like she had been crying.  
  
"Yes," said Cloud. He tuned it to get rid of static. "Who is this?"  
  
"…Are you Cloud?"  
  
"Yeah." He frowned. "But who are you?"  
  
"…Marlene."  
  
"Marlene? What are you—"  
  
"Cloud, Daddy's… Daddy's…" she started crying.  
  
"What happened?" Cloud demanded. "Was it Sephiroth?"  
  
"I think so…" said Marlene through her sobs. "He was big, and had a big sword…"  
  
"Thanks for contacting me." He hung up and looked to the questioning faces of his teammates.  
  
"Barret's dead." He said. "It was Sephiroth."  
  
The group was speechless, and it was quiet for a while. Cloud felt the familiar tug of grief grab at him, though not as intense as it had been when Sephiroth killed his mother. Even though Cloud wasn't exactly on good terms with Barret, he had been working with him for a while, and that was enough to count for a loss. He tried to shrug it off and push it aside.  
  
"He's following us…" said Yuffie, practically shaking in fear. "He's going to come after us. He's going to kill us all one by one!"  
  
"Keep your shorts on, girl. We'll be ready for him," said Cid. He paused. "I gotta admit, Cloud, I didn't quite believe you until now…"  
  
Cid's remark won another glare from Cloud.  
  
"What a shock…" said Red. "We were only just with him this morning…"  
  
Vincent said nothing and only stared down at his food, his ruby red eyes burning through the wood, seemingly lost in his thoughts.  
  
"What about Marlene?" asked Cid.  
  
"Marlene?" Cloud looked dumbly to Cid. "What about her?"  
  
"The kid was just orphaned, for Christ's sake! You didn't just hang up on her, did ya? Give me that!" Cid reached for the PHS in Cloud's hand but Cloud brought it out of his reach.  
  
"I'll handle it." said Red, and walked of into another room with the radio device.  
  
There was another silence that passed, and Nanaki's voice could be heard from the other room, talking into the PHS. It seemed the group had lost their appetite.  
  
"What now?" asked Yuffie, longing to break the silence that had fell over them.  
  
"How the hell am I supposed to know?!" exclaimed Cid.  
  
"I didn't ask you," said Yuffie. She stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
Cid muttered under his breath. "Kids…"  
  
"What?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"I said shut the hell up!" Cid shouted.  
  
"What's the matter?" Yuffie jeered. "Can't handle a simple little teenaged girl?"  
  
Cid muttered an inaudible curse.  
  
"You guys are giving me a headache," said Cloud.  
  
"Puh," Cid grunted, "That's the least of your #$%&in' problems, Strife."  
  
"Does anybody have an Asprin?" asked Cloud, cradling his forehead.  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
"Are you sure that's not just Jenova botherin' you again?" asked Cid.  
  
Cloud glared at him through his fingers, once again.  
  
Cid laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."  
  
Another silence.  
  
"I got a Gold chocobo," said Yuffie. "If anyone cares."  
  
"How the hell did you get one a' those?" asked Cid.  
  
"I found it," said Yuffie proudly. "And I caught it."  
  
"You can't just find a Gold chocobo," said Cloud. "You didn't steal it, did you?"  
  
Yuffie made a face. "I did not steal it!" she exclaimed. "I caught it fair and square."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"That's how I got here so quickly, by the way." Yuffie pointed out.  
  
Vincent got up, attracting the attention of the three at the table. He started up the stairs to the room he would sleep in for the night.  
  
"Heh, even the vamp's had enough of our bickerin," Cid commented.  
  
Vincent stopped suddenly and Cid feared he would take his comment seriously. When Vincent looked to the hall Nanaki had disappeared into, three more pairs of eyes joined his in watching, two blue and one brown.  
  
A moment later, Nanaki appeared out of the hall carrying a rather large box in his mouth that was fancily decorated. He tossed the PHS to Cloud after putting the box on the table. Vincent did not come back, but he didn't leave either.  
  
"Marlene is waiting for us to pick her up," said Red.  
  
"What? We can't take her along." Protested Cloud.  
  
"We're not." said Red. "We're picking her up at Corel and bringing her to Kalm, where Elmyra now lives. Hopefully, Aeris' mother will accept to take her in."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"What's in the box?" asked Yuffie.  
  
Nanaki opened the box he had set on the table then, and a soft, blue- white glow shined on their faces. Vincent came down off the stairs to get a better look.  
  
"Is that… the White Materia?" asked Cloud.  
  
"No, this thing's bigger…" said Cid. "What is it, Red?"  
  
"It is the Spirit Materia." Said Red. "And, like the White and Black Materia, it is the only one."  
  
Cloud narrowed his eyes. "How come I've never heard of it before?" He asked suspiciously.  
  
"It was kept secret for many years, being passed down generation to generation in the leading family of Cosmo Canyon, kind of like a family possession. I don't believe even the Shinra knew about it."  
  
"So… What does it do?" asked Yuffie.  
  
"It enables you to communicate with the spirits of the Lifestream."  
  
"Aeris…" Cloud murmured.  
  
"You can talk to dead people?" asked Yuffie.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Cool…" she said, smiling. "So we can talk to Aeris?"  
  
"Precisely."  
  
"Shit… How come you never told us of this before?" asked Cid.  
  
"I only found out about it when Grandfather died. He explained it too me then," said Nanaki.  
  
"How come you didn't tell us about it?" asked Cloud.  
  
"We were kind of busy, and a lot was happening. There wasn't exactly time to mention it. Besides, Grandfather told me only to use it with great cause."  
  
"So what's the great cause?" asked Cid.  
  
"I figured Aeris might be able to explain what's going on." Said Red. "If this thing works…" The beast chanted a few words, including Aeris' name. The blue tint of the sphere retreated to the outer rim, and the center burned a blinding white.  
  
Then, after it dimmed a little, nothing happened for quite a while. "Aeris?" Nanaki asked hesitantly.  
  
"What? Who's there?" Aeris' voice came suddenly form the sphere, and the light pulsed with each beat of sound. But she sounded confused.  
  
"This is Nanaki. Cloud is here too, along with Cid, Yuffie, and Vincent." Red replied.  
  
"But… But how is it possible for you to speak to me?" asked the Ancient.  
  
"The Spirit Materia." Answered Red. "It's been hidden at Cosmo Canyon for many years."  
  
Cloud leaned forward, closer to the glowing materia in the middle of the table. "Aeris…"  
  
"Cloud?"  
  
"Aeris, do you know what's happening?" asked Cloud.  
  
There was a brief silence. "What's happening where?"  
  
"Sephiroth is back," said Cloud. "How is it possible?"  
  
"Sephiroth…" Aeris paused. "He was here in the Lifestream for a moment, but not long because he was quickly rejected out of it. He had too much Jenova in him…"  
  
"Is that why he's back?" asked Cloud. "You mean there's no way he can die?"  
  
"No, no. He can die. In fact, he was dead," said Aeris. "For a while…"  
  
"Then how the hell is he alive again, dammit!" exclaimed Cid.  
  
"Hi, Cid," said Aeris.  
  
"Hi…"  
  
"You didn't entirely get rid of Jenova," Aeris explained. "At each time we fought her, we fought different parts of her. And we didn't entirely kill her each time. Some of her cells from each part remained, and they gathered together in the Northern Cave."  
  
"So that alien's back too?" asked Yuffie.  
  
"Yes, and she, through her limited means, resurrected Sephiroth."  
  
The way Aeris said 'Sephiroth' sent a chill down Cloud's spine. He thought it had something to do with the way her voice seemed to echo. "Limited means?" he asked.  
  
"She was weakened." Said Aeris.  
  
"Wait," interrupted the ninja. "If Sephiroth was brought back to life when he was really dead, is there any way we could bring you back?" she asked.  
  
"Not without taking another's life, and only Jenova would be able to do it."  
  
"Oh…" said Yuffie, disappointed.  
  
No one said anything then as they searched for questions to ask Aeris. None of them wanted to say good-bye to her again.  
  
"How do you know all this, anyway?" asked Cid.  
  
"I watch. I only know what I see."  
  
"We're after Sephiroth, and now we know to look out for Jenova too," said Cloud after another pause in the conversation. "Is there anything else we need to know?"  
  
"Sephiroth is not the main threat, Cloud." The magic flickered. "Jenova is what you should mainly be after."  
  
It surprised Cloud to hear Aeris say that. After all, Sephiroth was the one who killed her. Wouldn't she want him to be dead?  
  
"Is there anything else you need to know?" The magic was fading quickly.  
  
"No Aeris," said Cloud. "Bye…"  
  
"Bye." Her voice was soft.  
  
"Bye, Aeris!" Yuffie shouted after the fading voice. Then she blushed at her sudden action. "I miss her." She explained hesitantly, then sat back down.  
  
"We all do," Said Nanaki. He closed the lid as the materia lost its glow and put the box on a shelf nearby.  
  
There was little talk from then on, and one by one they retired to sleep. They kept watch in shifts just in case Sephiroth decided to show up, and Nanaki took the first watch. 


	4. ~chapter 4~

Chapter 4: Restless Night  
  
Vincent woke up suddenly with Lucrecia's scream still echoing in his ears. Sweat dripped from his forehead and down his back as he sat up in bed. Looking briefly at the clock, he saw that the time read twelve forty- two.  
  
It was another dream of Lucrecia… But made a nightmare by Hojo's appearance in it. He often dreamed of Lucrecia, but never could he find peace in those dreams. They were nightmares… All of them…  
  
"Lucrecia…" Vincent murmured. By now his racing heart had calmed, but the memories the dream had brought back refused to leave him. "Why did you not listen…"  
  
Vincent then remembered the Spirit Materia. The idea of calling Lucrecia with it had entered his mind earlier, when Nanaki had explained what the rare materia could do, but he had quickly dismissed it as a selfish thing to do. It wouldn't be fair to the others if Vincent used up all the power the Spirit Materia had left for his own selfish reasons. All they needed now was for the materia to fail to work when they most needed it…  
  
But he couldn't help himself. The reality of it was too close, and he needed to talk to her…  
  
Vincent silently crept downstairs in his black shirt and pants. He was barefoot, but that hardly mattered as he was only going into the dining hall. His sleek black hair fell into his eyes more than usual, since he did not have his red bandanna to keep it back off his forehead.  
  
Carefully, the former Turk brought the ornately decorated box down from the shelf where Nanaki had placed it. He opened it up and saw that the materia's glow was tired and faint. He only hoped it would work…  
  
Reciting the words to start the spell was easy; Vincent remembered the chant Nanaki used clearly. The rhyming, singsong words stuck in his mind easily, and recalling them took very little thought at all. He substituted Lucrecia's name for Aeris's, and held his breath as the glowing sphere brightened. He closed his eyes against the flash of light, and when he opened them, the sphere was dim again. It was not like when they had talked to Aeris earlier.  
  
"Lucrecia…?" Vincent whispered her name hesitantly, but no answer came from the dormant Spirit Materia. He tried again, a bit more loudly this time, but still there was only silence in response.  
  
Just what he had thought, there was not enough energy left in the condensed ball of Mako to summon Lucrecia… But why then had it lit up so bright just as it did when they summoned Aeris? Vincent decided to make sure that the reason was that there wasn't enough power, so once again he chanted the simple words to summon Aeris. The sphere released it's intense light, then settled into the bluish glow it had been when it worked earlier.  
  
"Aeris?" Vincent whispered after a moment.  
  
"Vincent, you know you shouldn't be doing this." Aeris' voice answered.  
  
Vincent was surprised that it had worked, and it brought confusion to his thoughts. He had used the same chant… But still, it worked…  
  
"I know." he said in reply to Aeris' reminder.  
  
"Why did you summon me?" asked Aeris gently. "This is wearing off the materia badly…" Though her words told differently, Aeris' voice implied that she wasn't rushing him.  
  
"Aeris," Vincent said thoughtfully. "Do you happen to know why I could summon you, yet I could not summon Lucrecia…?"  
  
Aeris was quiet for a moment. She felt uncomfortable talking to Vincent about this, but there was no way around or out of the conversation. She couldn't just refuse to answer. "It's the Jenova." She said. "Because of the Jenova inside her, Lucrecia could not merge with the Lifestream. It rejected her…"  
  
"…Where is she then?" asked Vincent after a moment of thought.  
  
"Her spirit is free to roam the planet." Her voice was starting to fade, and there were breaks in her speech. "She's a ghost, Vincent. That's why we were able to meet her in that cave…"  
  
Vincent sighed. "Is there any way I can reach her?"  
  
"I don't know." Aeris admitted. "I would expect that she would appear to you if she wanted to talk to you, but…"  
  
Vincent thought for a moment, then answered, "Thank you, Aeris."  
  
"Vincent… I could be wrong. There is a good chance that there is more I don't know. All I know for sure is that she is not in the Lifestream, and she never will be." Her voice was terribly faint now, Vincent had to strain to hear her. It was flickering so badly, he almost couldn't make out what she was saying.  
  
"I'll be okay, Aeris." Vincent assured her before their connection was broken. He knew she always wanted to heal his broken soul and make him happy. She was just that kind of person… But he didn't want her or anybody else to worry for him. And he didn't want anyone trying to fix something that would be broken for all eternity, either.  
  
Vincent turned his head abruptly at the sound of approaching footsteps from behind. It was Cloud, looking very much prepared to fight. With his Buster Sword strapped to his back and various materia in their slots, he looked more than ready to kill.  
  
Vincent gently closed the Spirit Materia's box as Cloud passed by, but Cloud didn't seem to notice him. He kept going, not sparing Vincent one glance before he left quickly out the door. Curiously, Vincent followed.  
  
Cloud walked straight out of the village of Cosmo Canyon and out onto the side of the mountain. There, in the middle of a wide ledge to the right of the stairs leading into Cosmo Canyon, Cloud readied his sword. Vincent held back in the shadows provided by the stairs.  
  
"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted. "I know you're out there,"  
  
In swift answer to Cloud's calling, Sephiroth came slowly from the shadows of the rocks. Vincent saw him before Cloud, but only watched as Sephiroth drew Masamune without the slightest sound, then charged to make his kill.  
  
Cloud turned at the last second and raised his blade to meet Masamune in a deadly clash. They fought, and neither spoke another word. The only sound penetrating the calm night was the metal clash of their brutal weapons.  
  
They used no magic, relying on only their blades as if they had had an understanding. But then again, neither had the chance to use magic. There was no opening in the intense battle that allowed it.  
  
Vincent watched Sephiroth intensely. He was holding back, he had to be. There was no sense of strain visible in his stone features, only the insane glint of pleasure in his eyes. This was not good news for Cloud… It was clear that he was putting a lot into this fight. Maybe it wasn't his very best, but it certainly was close.  
  
Then Cloud's stainless blade found Sephiroth's shoulder, and blood, bright against the black of his cloak, gushed heavily from the wound. That was when Vincent realized that the once proud general was not wearing his usual attire. He was still cloaked in black, but not with the usual armor Sephiroth would always be seen in. It was too dark to see any more details.  
  
Sephiroth staggered back, surprised and ashamed at what he had let his enemy do, but quickly regained his composure. Then, in less time than Vincent could comprehend what was happening, Sephiroth had Cloud injured and on the ground with a powerful burst of ice magic. He didn't use the break to cure himself, but instead moved in for the kill, bringing down the masamune from above.  
  
But Cloud rolled away, barely escaping death at the hands of his archenemy, and was instantly on his feet. Cloud took another swing aimed directly at Sephiroth's middle, ignoring his earlier pain. Once again his attack was blocked--not by his opponent's steel this time, but by a barrier.  
  
With the barrier blocking Cloud's blow that time, Sephiroth had his sword free while Cloud was busy. He easily caught Cloud in the side and sent him flying to the ground, this time bleeding heavily. Cloud was much more severely wounded than before, and Sephiroth seemed pleased as he got ready for the final blow.  
  
Cloud didn't stand a chance. He would surely die in the next few seconds if Vincent didn't do something about it now, and he'd regret it if he didn't act quickly. There was room for no more sins on his guilty conscience.  
  
Vincent ran. He ran and didn't stop when he reached the scene. He plowed right into Sephiroth, successfully knocking him to the ground, with Vincent on top of him. It was the only thing he could do, being unarmed.  
  
But it wasn't enough. Sephiroth only threw him aside, and continued towards Cloud, who had taken the opportunity to heal himself and was ready and waiting. Cloud was still hurt and in pain, though. Vincent could see it in his eyes. Sephiroth was still much stronger than he was, and he stood no chance alone.  
  
"Stop!" Vincent said suddenly, surprising himself. "You don't want to kill him."  
  
Sephiroth did stop, but didn't turn to look at him. Instead, Cloud answered.  
  
"Stay away, Vincent. This isn't your fight."  
  
The words were Cloud's, as the voice and pronunciation. But they had a far-away effect. It was almost as if Sephiroth was speaking through Cloud.  
  
No sooner did Vincent get this idea than Sephiroth started moving again, still determined to murder Cloud with the same efficiency he did with Barret. Vincent couldn't let the battle go on. If it weren't Cloud that lost his life right here on this night, it would certainly be Sephiroth. Vincent couldn't let him die again… It was almost as if he was given a second chance to redeem Lucrecia's son from his madness. He had failed the first time...  
  
But was there any way? Vincent had not his gun with him, or any other weapon he could use. Was Chaos the only possibility? To let loose that demon on purpose as the only way to save a life... What if he couldn't control it? What if, instead of saving a life, he destroyed one?  
  
What if he couldn't take back his control...  
  
Vincent abandoned the idea. It was way too risky for his taste, and too dangerous for everyone, including the villagers of Cosmo Canyon. Every time in the past, Chaos took over by its own will, not his. And Vincent wanted to suppress it deep within his soul forever. Letting it take over would be undoing his desperate work, and possibly letting Chaos reign permanently...  
  
It was out of the question. The battle was about to continue, and Vincent would never be able to stop it once it started up again.  
  
Vincent caught up to Sephiroth, and placed his hand on his shoulder to stop him once more. He hadn't gotten far. In the time Vincent thought, Sephiroth had only gone a few steps towards his waiting victim. "Sephiroth," he said firmly. "Listen to me."  
  
Again, Vincent's attempt stalled Sephiroth for a moment. But again, Cloud was the one to respond. He charged forward, Buster Sword aiming straight for Vincent.  
  
"I told you to leave!" He shouted, the phrase acting as a maddening war cry. The sudden change of enemies Vincent witnessed in the leader of Avalanche caught him very much off guard. The broadsword powered by Cloud's strong arms sliced a deep gash across Vincent's chest and middle, the force of the blow throwing his frail body several feet until he was at the edge of the wide cliff in which the battle was fought. Vincent fell unconscious.  
  
Cloud stared in disbelief as Vincent's body skidded to a stop at the edge of the cliff. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. Wasn't he attacking Sephiroth just then? But instead of seeing Sephiroth's body take the blow he dealt, it was Vincent. He didn't even recall Vincent ever being there at that fight, and he hadn't seen him since dinner the night before.  
  
Then, before Cloud's eyes, Vincent started to change and Cloud recognized the beginnings of the Chaos transformation. There was no time to watch any more of the mutation, though, because just then Sephiroth attacked, bringing all his thoughts back to his original goal. I must defeat Sephiroth...  
  
Cloud turned and parried just in time, and the two were locked in battle once again. Cloud managed to get a barrier of his own up, then, as Sephiroth's was weakening. He was looking for an opening that would be perfect for Omnislash, his best and most deadly move.  
  
But Sephiroth was also getting ready for one of his ultimate moves; Cloud saw the red materia begin to glow as he readied it. Supernova, it was called. Cloud remembered it well.  
  
While Sephiroth was putting most his thought and energy into preparing his summon, that was the perfect opening for Omnislash. While Sephiroth was distracted...  
  
Cloud's sword glowed with power, and a sudden wind came up around him, just as Chaos' cry of destruction rose above all other sounds.  
  
Cloud ignored it, and charged to Sephiroth for the first sequence of hits Omnislash would bring. At the same time, Sephiroth began his Supernova summon, and their surroundings were suddenly that of outer space. An exact miniature copy of the real galaxy replaced the setting of mountains and rock of a second before. Cloud still charged, only there was no visible ground beneath him, and stars and planets surrounded him for as far as he could see. Cloud didn't even stop to notice the change, for he had seen it all before. Soon Sephiroth would be dead, defeated by Omnislash just like before, and Supernova would diminish before it affected Cloud at all. All in a matter of seconds…  
  
But Chaos intercepted him, and the first blow of Omnislash landed on the wrong demon, the wrong monster. Chaos screamed again, an ear-splitting sound, and Cloud struggled to bring his attack to a halt. When he finally succeeded, however, Chaos repaid him with a rain of attacks Cloud had only seen done to the enemy. He felt quite different about it now that he was the one being attacked.  
  
While Cloud was fighting desperately against Chaos, Sephiroth stood with his arms outstretched above his head and chanted softly under his breath, still concentrating on his powerful spell. He kept his glowing emerald eyes locked on Cloud at all times, as if assuring his main target. Cloud realized that Sephiroth was probably counting on Chaos distracting him all along. With that distraction, the son of Jenova would be able to make his spell more powerful, more accurate, and more deadly than ever before. Cloud briefly wondered if Sephiroth would be able to escape dying from it himself.  
  
Cloud had to find a way to get Chaos attacking Sephiroth instead of him. He ran back to Sephiroth, leading Chaos like bait, and put Sephiroth between them. Sephiroth only moved out of the way, but readied Masamune for any trouble. Then Cloud attacked him, and Sephiroth blocked, but when Sephiroth swung again to hit him as a counter attack, Cloud dodged and Masamune found Chaos instead. The demon roared again and switched his target to Sephiroth, and Sephiroth had to abandon his summon in order to handle Chaos' attacks. The starry outer-space illusion dissipated as quickly as it had come, and Cloud found himself back on the ledge below the village of Cosmo Canyon where he had been originally.  
  
Sephiroth kept fighting and attacking Chaos, which wasn't the best way to get rid of the winged beast. As Cloud watched, Chaos literally picked Sephiroth off the ground and flew away with him. Cloud stared after them for a moment more before collapsing to the rocky earth, hardly strong enough to stand after what the night had brought. 


	5. ~chapter 5~

Chapter 5: The Dust Settles  
  
Nanaki woke with the rising sun, sighing warmly as he remembered that he was home, finally after so long. He wished he could lay there forever in the morning sunlight, listening to the songs of the birds outside his window as they announced the new day. But it wasn't as great a morning as it could've been, thought Nanaki. Sadly he remembered the absence of his Grandfather, and how Sephiroth was again on the loose.  
  
Sighing heavily, Nanaki got up off his favorite rug to welcome the morning. Careful not to wake his sleeping guests, he quietly stepped outside onto his balcony and looked out on the canyon, as he had with his Grandfather countless times before he died. The canyon was always so very beautiful at this hour, but it seemed strangely empty without Grandfather there beside him. The cool morning breeze blew into Nanaki's face as he lifted his front paws onto the railing that separated him from the steep drop on the other side. Nothing stirred below him as he looked down on his sleeping town.  
  
Just as he was about to go back inside and take care of some of the morning chores, Nanaki caught a glimpse of something on the rock ledge just outside the entrance to the village. He squinted his one eye to see better what it was, and made out the outline of a person, sprawled out on the rock. And as he looked even harder, he thought he saw the blonde hair, blue outfit, and huge broadsword that could only belong to Cloud.  
  
Nanaki ran back through the house, this time not as careful to be quiet. Only then did he realize that someone should have been up at this time taking the last watch. Had Sephiroth come during Cloud's watch and managed not to disturb the rest of them? And if he had, had he succeeded in killing the leader of Avalanche?  
  
Nanaki ran through the village, out the exit, and down the stairs. As he came closer to the person he had seen, he became more certain that it was Cloud. There was a good amount of blood spattered everywhere, including on Cloud himself, which made it very clear that there had been a gruesome battle on the rock outcropping.  
  
"Cloud!" he said, panting as he skidded to a stop by his side. Cloud gave no answer, and Nanaki rolled him over on his back. He had large cuts and gashes all over him, but his biggest wound seemed to be where a large sword had cut into his side. The wound was deep and the blood loss great. Nanaki feared that Sephiroth just might have achieved his goal.  
  
Nanaki chanted a healing spell, the strongest he could manage, and watched as Cloud's skin began to close itself up. He heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up to see Cid and Yuffie coming down to see what was happening.  
  
Yuffie shrieked and stopped where she was, but followed after Cid when he didn't stop.  
  
"What the hell happened?!" exclaimed Cid as he stood over Cloud.  
  
"I don't know…" replied Nanaki. "I suppose Sephiroth…"  
  
"$#&%, I knew we shouldn't have let him take a watch shift," said Cid.  
  
"Did you try healing him?" asked Yuffie.  
  
"Yes, but I don't know if it was enough…"  
  
"Well, heal him again!"  
  
"I'd have to use a different Restore materia, this one's burnt out for now."  
  
Yuffie searched herself for any materia, and pulled out a Restore. "Gotcha!" she said in triumph.  
  
But before they could use it, Cloud stirred as if waking up. "Sephiroth…" he moaned. He sat up and held his head in his hands, then looked up at the three staring back at him. "Where'd he go?" he asked, as if he was certain they knew. He started to get up and reached for his Buster Sword.  
  
"Hey, hold it there, buddy." Said Cid, placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder, causing Cloud to stop and look back at him. "Mind telling us what happened?"  
  
"It was Sephiroth. I gotta go after him." Cloud strapped the Buster Sword to his back.  
  
"Snap out of it, Cloud, he's gone!" Cid grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Now *&$#in' tell us what happened already!"  
  
Cloud glared at him coldly. "I told you, Sephiroth was here. And I can't let him get away, I gotta go find him."  
  
"Oh no you don't," said Cid. "Red, cast some sleeping spell on him or something."  
  
Nanaki cast Sleep on Cloud and he fell back to the ground.  
  
"Maybe we can get some answers outta him later. Right now let's just bring him back to the village," said Cid. He yawned. "It's too damn early to be up, I'm going back to bed."  
  
The three of them brought Cloud back to Nanaki's house. Cid slept until breakfast when the three of them finally noticed that Vincent wasn't there. The spell wore off of Cloud a short time later and they were able to question him. Cloud explained how he fought Sephiroth and how Vincent was there and carried Sephiroth away as Chaos. The team had no way of knowing what happened to Vincent after that or where he could be, so they decided to worry about him later since they had to take care of Marlene.  
  
"Shouldn't we leave him a note or something, in case he comes back?" Yuffie suggested.  
  
"I've already taken care of that," said Nanaki. "If Vincent comes back to Cosmo Canyon then he will be directed to Gliset. We're going back there to check on Tifa after we take care of Marlene."  
  
Cloud was strangely silent.  
  
"Ok," said Yuffie. "Is there room on the Highwind for Tai? I don't wanna leave him behind."  
  
Cid stared blankly at her. "Who the hell is Tai?"  
  
"My Gold Chocobo, stupid! If you were listening to me you would've known that!"  
  
"Oh, jeez…" Cid said, shaking his head. "You never said its &$#!in' name."  
  
"Yes I did!"  
  
"My Chocobo's using the stall," said Cloud.  
  
"I was thinking we'd leave Tai here, so Vincent could use him to get to Gliset if he made it back here," said Nanaki.  
  
"Good thinking, Red," said Cid. "Now let's get going!"  
  
So the four of them headed for Corel where they picked up Marlene from a local orphanage that was holding her. She was very quiet; she wouldn't say a word to anyone. Soon that was the mood of everyone on the Highwind, for with Marlene there the group found that they couldn't ignore the death of Barret any longer.  
  
Elmyra was very saddened by the news Cloud brought; she was afraid something like that would happen. After the threat of Meteor was gone though, she thought for sure everything would be ok. She was glad to take in Marlene, she wouldn't have anyone else do the job. She insisted that the team stay for lunch, so they did. Then they were on their way to Gliset, and Cloud was anxious to see how Tifa was doing.  
  
  
  
When Vincent regained his consciousness, the sun was high in the sky and very bright to his sensitive eyes. It was painful for him to get up, but he managed. As he looked around, he saw that he was on a cliff high above a small pond with a small waterfall on the south side. How ironic that he found himself here, thought Vincent. The last thing he remembered was how Cloud had charged at him with his Buster Sword and the pain of the blow. He assumed that that was when Chaos took over, since that was the only explanation he could find for being where he was.  
  
He shuddered to think of what his demon self might have done. Since Cloud was the one to attack him, Cloud was most likely the one that Chaos chose as his enemy. And if Chaos hadn't killed Cloud, surely Sephiroth had. And what of Sephiroth, Vincent wondered.  
  
Vincent heard footsteps on the jagged rock and turned to see Sephiroth standing before him, answering his silent question.  
  
Sephiroth drew his sword, and Vincent quickly got over his surprise, regarding the situation before him calmly. "Go ahead, kill me," he said.  
  
Vincent was defenseless before Sephiroth; he had not his gun and was disadvantaged by his position nearer to the ledge. But even if he were armed, he wouldn't have fought back. He knew that whatever happened to Cloud, if Sephiroth killed him or Chaos, it was his fault, and Vincent couldn't live with another sin like that on his chest. While he lived he was a danger to everyone, and what better way to die than by the hands of Lucrecia's son. It was what he deserved...  
  
Sephiroth raised Masamune and Vincent closed his eyes, ready and waiting for his life to end, wondering if maybe he'd be blessed enough to spend an afterlife with his love.  
  
But Sephiroth's blade hit a barrier that neither of them knew was there. Vincent opened his eyes and saw that his shock matched Sephiroth's. As the blue haze of the barrier dissolved, the ghost of Lucrecia appeared. She spared no glance to Vincent, and only seemed to notice Sephiroth.  
  
"Jenova is not your mother, Sephiroth. Listen to what Vincent has to say." She said as she touched Sephiroth's cheek lightly. Then she vanished.  
  
Both men stood in shock for a minute more. All Vincent could think of was how beautiful yet terribly sad she looked. But she didn't acknowledge his presence accept to mention his name...  
  
Vincent looked up at Sephiroth and saw him staring back, a contemplating frown on his face.  
  
Lucrecia wanted him to tell Sephiroth the truth about his past... "That was the spirit of Lucrecia, your true mother." Said Vincent. Sephiroth grunted and walked past Vincent to the edge of the rock, looking out to the horizon. Vincent went on. "I was... very close to your mother, but she was married to Hojo..." Vincent watched Sephiroth closely for any reaction, but there was none. Perhaps he wasn't listening... "When Lucrecia became pregnant," Vincent continued, "Hojo started injecting Jenova cells into her womb... It killed her eventually... Hojo was insane."  
  
"That he was," said Sephiroth without moving his gaze. "That is the first truthful thing you have said."  
  
He doesn't believe me... thought Vincent. "Sephiroth... What can I do to convince you that this is the truth... You are human, and you do have human parents.  
  
"Jenova is my mother," said Sephiroth firmly.  
  
"No, Sephiroth, she is not," said Vincent, voice rising. "Jenova is using you to do her dirty-work. You are nothing to her but a puppet, her personal slave!"  
  
Sephiroth turned to Vincent then. "Enough!" he cried as he once again drew Masamune and swung it powerfully at Vincent. Vincent dodged as an instinct reaction, but he lost his balance and stumbled over the edge of the cliff. He caught the edge with his left hand, his good hand, then raised his claw to hold on as well. Vincent looked up at Sephiroth, realizing that he was at his mercy.  
  
Sephiroth met Vincent's gaze with a slight anger, then looked down at his hand, clenching onto the rock with effort. Sephiroth stepped on his hand and twisted his boot. Vincent gritted his teeth and gave out a short scream. He tried to keep his hold on the rock, but his hand wouldn't cooperate and he slipped. Before he knew it he was falling. 


End file.
